“One advantage of being my age,” Eastwood shared, “is that, you know, what can they do? You just have fun and do what you think and you can say what you think and not have to edit yourself.”

When asked if he regretted his speech, Eastwood shook his head. Then, when told that Mitt Romney had enjoyed the speech, Eastwood shared that the GOP nominee has a much better sense of humor than he’s often given credit for.

Eastwood was he hadn’t meant to be disrespectful in his speech — a criticism that keeps popping up in discussions of his presentation — but noted that people often end up insulting one another in politics. His message, he said, is that you don’t have to “idolize” people in politics — they’re here to work for you. He dismissed the idea of having “movie actors playing politicians” (presumably speaking figuratively, as Eastwood himself is both an actor and a former mayor) adding that there needs to be “more work and less talk” overall in politics.